Twilight, Travel, and Treats

10 Minutes of BD Behind the Scenes

2011-11-22T19:56:00.000-08:00

I was surfing YouTube today for a piano tutorial for Turning Page by Sleeping at Last (by the way, didn't find one). Found this very nice cover though but I doubt he will provide sheets. Pity.

I came across the official Breaking Dawn Behind the Scenes footage. There is a good 10 minutes here. Maybe you've all seen it but I hadn't yet so I was super excited. A nice way to get my movie fix until I see it for the third time.

It's a gentle reminder too that IT'S NOT REAL!! Yes this is silly since of course I know it's fiction but it bears repeating. Sometimes my brain becomes so ensconced in fanfic and Edward that it's a good jolt back to reality.

Enjoy!

I Didn't Expect to Like Breaking Dawn Part 1

2011-11-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

Yes that's director Bill Condon with our favourite couple

Is it cynical of me that I didn't expect to like Breaking Dawn Part 1? I didn't really confess that to people considering I'm supposed to be this huge Edward and Bella nut. But the thought of watching her grow gaunt and have Edward brooding in the corner while Jacob comforted her didn't seem like much fun. I guess I am a pessimist at heart and it even invades my love of Twilight. Enough that I forgot there would be this amazing wedding and supposed headboard breaking to look forward to.

Well, I was proven wrong. I absolutely LOVED most of BD Part 1. You can guess since I'm so pro-Edward that the parts I didn't like were mostly Jacob and Wolf pack related. Like the scene where they all convene and Jacob eventually breaks off. I don't know why but I just start laughing and rolling my eyes even though it's supposed to be so tense.

I'm not a huge music person. Although I love playing the piano and singing, I don't go running out to buy soundtracks before the movie comes out nor do I usually know any of the artists beforehand. But I have fallen hard for a few songs on this one.

My favourite from the Breaking Dawn soundtrack?

Turning Page by Sleeping At Last

This was at Breaking Dawn Tent City - were some of you there for that?? Must have been amazing.

Every time I hear this song I start to cry. I'm sure commuters driving past me must think I'm crazy. This song is so incredibly sweet and moving that I can't stop listening to it. The piano sheet music isn't anywhere to be found and I can't wait for months for Hal Leonard to release it so I'm praying someone has time on their hands to transpose it.

So the surprises that I loved?

I didn't expect them to play 'Flightless Bird, American Mouth' during the vows. Absolutely floored and it made the scene perfect. Even Rob Pattinson admits that his favourite scene in the series is the Twilight dance scene.

The speeches were a great touch. It was wonderful to see Edward get up there and tell the world how much he loves Bella. So relieving just to see him so happy!

As much as I've made fun of Taylor Lautner in the past I was impressed with his performance. The scenes he had trying to convince pregnant Bella to have an abortion were good - really, he didn't totally suck ;)

Things I wish were different?

Catherine Hardwicke had it right when she incorporated Bella's narrative voice into Twilight. Stephenie Meyer wrote everything in first person and most of us Twihards still think of the series in that way. There were definitely scenes where it would have been more complete to have Bella's thoughts accompanying the scene.

For example, don't you all remember that the transformation was supposed to be awful? There was all of 2 seconds of that in the transformation sequence when her heart restarts. Major pitfall not having that included.

Another part of the transformation that I wish was different? For some reason I always thought that Edward would be holding her hand or by her side that whole time rather than standing by the window waiting. I suppose it made it easier to do all the CG work without Rob's hair in the way but it doesn't seem very Edward like to leave her alone to suffer (even if they did think the morphine was sedating her).

Well, I've only seen it twice in the theatres so far. I'm sure I'll watch it a couple more times still since it was just that good. Another year seems too long to wait for Part 2!!

Well I'm off to work on the Fandom Gives Back compilation. I think FGB was close to reaching the $250,000 goal to help fight childhood cancer but every $5 donation counts so please go donate :) There are also auctions for autographed books - like my favourite Master of the Universe which has now been published by E.L. James as Fifty Shades of Grey.

Top 10 Things I Learned from TwiTour LA 2011

2011-11-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

This was my second TwiTour or as I like to call it TwiCon. My first was in Vancouver last year where I had brunch with Peter Facinelli (see post here).

My favourite Breaking Dawn photos from the convention. I'm finding a way to make these my iPad wallpapers :)

1. You don't have to sleep in the street for days to see Robert or Kristen up close.

They announced a few weeks before the convention that Robert and Kristen (oh and Taylor too) were going to be in Los Angeles. HonoluluGirl and I had said if there was any way we could pay to have good seats to see the Twi-fecta rather than sleeping on the street for 3 days (like our dedicated friends do for Comic-Con) that we would totally do it. Suzie - I missed you! You must come out next time :)

2. I need a better zoom lens for next year (yes I'm going next year!)

Instead of shelling out 300 bucks for seats in the back for the whole weekend I banked on buying the Saturday reserved seats for 60 bucks. Managed to catch it pretty early after it was released. For reference I got seat D28.

My view from seat D28

As zoomed as I could get without worsening the blur.

I didn't get great photos though. Why? I love my Canon S90 and decided to take it and gave Mr. TC the SLR for his photo tour. It still wasn't good enough. However, I did sneak some video footage for myself - teehee! I know you can see the whole panel online right now but it's much better when you took it yourself!

Twired Jen has MUCH nicer photos and was sitting just a few feet behind me.

Check her blog and others who had nicer seats (and nicer cameras) for all the great pictures.

3. Hyatt Regency, although pretty, was lacking some amenities for a picky girl.

The Hyatt Regency Century City where the convention was held was nice. Great convention rate of $189 down from $299 rack rate. Easy check-in and even better with a Hyatt Gold Passport that Mr. TC has from years of business travel. Nice good Beverly Hills feel. Downsides if you're a picky princess like myself? Missing bathrobes, slippers, hairdryer in room, and a showercap.

4. There are crazy fans out there willing to pay $2000 for an autographed 8X10 of Rob and Kristen.

The auction started after noon. Most notable was a bedroom BD photo autographed by Rob and Kristen went for $2000! And I thought I was crazy.

4. I could have flown in and out of LA on the same day and still seen the Cullens and Twi-fecta.

The schedule packed most of the good stuff into a few hours. After the auction at noon there was some secret footage and behind the scenes interviews. Not great but a nice taster.
The Cullens and Twi-fecta with Director were on after them and everything was finished by 5:30pm.

5. I am now a real fan of Jackson Rathbone. Oh, and I don't hate Melissa Rosenberg.

Now while I'm watching the Twilight movies I often bitch about some of the poor writing, etc. But to be frank I still think she has done a good job and the feminist in me is just happy to see more women in important positions. It was actually good to hear her perspective and also a bit more about her writing process.

About Jackson, that man is such a character. It's such a 180 to see him as Jasper now because he's quirky, funny, sweet, and humble.

6. All Edward merchandise is sold out on the Friday already.

I was on a mission to come home with a Breaking Dawn fleece blanket. Imagine my dismay when I showed up Saturday am and all the Edward merchandise was gone. Apparently the diehard Cullen Crest gold passport people are mostly Edward fans (of course I wasn't surprised, just disappointed).

Next best thing?

Head over to the nearest Hot Topic store. We don't have these in Canada so I was ecstatic there was one 5 minutes from the hotel. And of course they had a ton of Edward merchandise with no lines.

Yes I picked up one of these too.

My hubby was trying to convince me this pillowcase is too precious to use. I'm not falling for it.

7. The vendor room was worth it for the movie props.

I'm not sure how many of these are real. Frankly I don't care but happy to just delude myself.

Note the wedding invite is there too.

The only interesting display for the vendors was the Barbie Collectors. They had the whole display on sale. I wanted to buy the Jane doll but alas it wasn't for sale. They were just there to announce that in Feb 2012 there will be Bella & Edward Wedding Barbie dolls.

They gave out Wisteria seeds as well - same as the Breaking Dawn wedding arch flowers. But alas no seeds can cross through customs so I had to leave them behind :(

By the way I am oddly a huge fan of projected light displays. The convention entrance area was pretty to say the least. I wanted to take one of these things home.

9. You can tell a lot about someone by their shoes.

Of course this is an old adage but I definitely think it holds true in this case.

Rob - with his short socks, totally beaten up shoes. Awkward, would have been the shy kid at school. Adorkable.

Kristen - stylish yet comfortable. Cares but doesn't care about what you think, know what I mean?

Ashley - trendy, daring to the point of perilous. Appearance is important.

Elizabeth - stylish, sexy with confidence.

Didn't realize how deep my shoe obsession runs until just now...

10. For some reason watching Kristen Stewart put her hair in a ponytail in mesmerizing.

I have no idea why I was so intrigued by this mundane action. Maybe it's because I've been waiting for years to see her in person. Or just that I've always liked her high ponytail looks. Regardless I was captivated. So weird!

You can see the entire Rob/Kristen/Taylor panel (including the ponytailing) in its entirety here.

It was nice to hug some of my Twihard friends from out of town. I'm glad we had a chance to see each other even though it was brief.

Well, I survived my first Rob and Kristen live viewing. I've realized that unless I get a new lens for next year I'll be spending lots of time taking pictures of the screen again :)

Next I'll do a small LA Shopping and Food Bites post...

Fandom Gives Back - For Fanfic Readers and Authors

2011-10-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

For the second time this year I'm working with Nina from Fandom Gives Back. The last time was for Autism Speaks where FGB raised over $3600.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Fandom Gives Back it is an initiative created to unite Twilight fans to raise money for charity, mainly Alex's Lemonade Stand (ALSF). ALSF is a children's cancer research foundation, borne from the vision of Alex Scott (1996-2004).

So far they've raised almost $250,000 towards fighting childhood cancer through past events.

This year the goal is to raise just $15k. There will be a fanfic compilation available for a flat donation. So far there are over 60 authors but the more authors we have the more donations we will get.

Authors: I know some of you dabble in writing fanfic (you know who you are!), please consider submitting a story - more info here. For those just starting out it's a great way to get your name out there and for those who are well known it helps get donations to fight cancer!

Readers: If you are a fanfic reader (like myself) please consider donating - flat donation gets you the fanfic compilation. Here's the list of authors so far but there's still another few weeks to the deadline so there will definitely be more coming.

My role in this? I'm the compiler eg. the down and dirty of putting all the stories together in a nice book. The best part? I get to read everything first :) Love it when there's a great outtake I've been waiting for or a new author I hadn't heard of that is fabulous.

Pride & Prejudice for Babies App for iPhone/iPad

2011-10-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

Before I fell in love with Twilight I was a Pride & Prejudice fan. I've come out of blogging hiatus to tell you about the latest iPad app I like.

Want a good way to introduce Shakespeare or Austen to your little one?

Enter new BabyLit books - available in board book and iPad/iPhone enhanced versions.

I bought the board books first at my local Indigo store and thought it was super cute. It prompted my 8 year old son to spend half an hour asking me about Pride & Prejudice. You know when your child is enraptured by your explanation of why Lizzie won't marry Mr. Collins that this new book has done its job.

The iPad enhanced version is even better. This is a counting book so it's like any other baby iPad book that counts objects except this time they are marriage proposals and ballgowns. Bonuses - you can dress Lizzie in different ballgowns and that the whole first chapter of P&P is narrated at the end for you.

My son has yet to listen to the narrated first chapter of P&P that is on the iPad but it's nice that one day he may stumble upon it.

More titles coming up? Romeo & Juliet is already available but it looks like Jane Eyre and Alice in Wonderland are coming soon.

Twilight vs. Harry Potter - Which is More Successful?

2011-07-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

I received an interesting email a while back from Money.co.uk. Apparently they did a comparison of two of my favourite things - Twilight and Harry Potter. I'd normally avoid a financial site of any sort but this caught my attention. It was lovely of Sophie from Money.co.uk to let me know about this since I love facts!

It's a very interesting article and an easy read. Do you know how much Rob Pattinson is worth? What about Emma Watson? How about how much money the Twilight movies have earned versus Harry Potters?
There's no point in me summarizing for you - just go check it out here!

By the way I find the wealth figures they mention there absolutely staggering. For example, J.K. Rowling is the first billionaire author. The total cost of making all the Harry Potter films is over $1.28 billion dollars USD.

It comes as no surprise that Harry Potter brings in more money than Twilight. All the Rob crazed female fans in the world can't make up for the young male population who are in love with the World of Harry Potter. Since Twilight appeals to only one gender it really isn't a fair fight. But still fun to think about :)

By the way, my hubby and I are heading to London in a few days. I am thrilled to try and see some Harry Potter filming sites. This is one trip that won't be Twilight related - unless there is an unexpected Pattinson family sighting!

Want a Twilight photo filter for your iPhone/iPad?

2011-06-14T20:33:00.001-07:00

I love photography iPhone apps. I've discovered a new one - and it's got a Twilight filter too!

FX Photostudio for iPhone and iPad

Cost $2.99 plus in-app purchase 99 cents for the Hollywood pack (twilight filter)

The basic photo editing tools are only crop, rotate, and gamma (exposure or brightness). If you want blemish or red-eye removal and other editing tools you should also get Perfect Photo. I'll review it next post but it's surprisingly powerful.

There are 187 filters to choose from but they categorize them so it's not overwhelming. Plus you can mark favourites and hide ones you don't use.

The smartest thing is that you if you figure out a filter combo that's brilliant you can save it for use again later or even share it.

You can vary the amount of change each filter creates as well. There is a lot of control built in.

I just did some screencaps of my favourite filters below.

Original (photo from robsessed)

With filters - the filter title at top of each pic

And lastly the Twilight filter

It does really look like Catherine Hardwicke helped with that shot.

In case you wanted a Kristen Stewart version I've included some too

Original

With filters

Note the iPad version is HD is a separate purchase from the iPhone version and has a few more filters.

There is also a version for Mac as well but no PC one.

More iPhone and iPad app reviews to come.

Who is Henry Cavill?

2011-06-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Do you know who Henry Cavill is? Does his name ring a bell? I'm assuming if you are a true original Twilight fan that you know the answer (or maybe you're just British.)

Let me back up. My heart surgery went as expected - thanks for all your well wishes by the way. God willing that I wasn't going to get out of my parental and professional obligations that easily.
As a result I've been forced to lie in bed for hours while recovering. Thank God my husband managed to set up Netflix USA on my iPad or I would go mad.

I've been blowing through the periodic drama called The Tudors. If you don't know it's a Showtime drama with cutie Jonathan Rhys-Meyers playing Henry VIII. There's a lot of raunchy sex as he goes through his numerous wives and mistresses. Can you believe I first watched this on an airplane?I shudder that there was some old Asian guy behind me also watching people fucking on my TV screen.

I highly doubt Henry VIII looked like this. Yum.

Well in addition to Mr. Rhys-Meyers I've been enjoying watching this guy.

These photos don't do him justice. You need the voice too. See video below.

Henry Cavill - tall, dark, handsome, amazing voice, and striking eyes. Honestly what's not to like?
The montage below is a nice run down of his sex scenes but minus his voice though :(

This sex scene below is one that I like. Sorry the quality is a bit grainy but you'll get the idea.

Okay I totally resisted putting a picture of his naked butt on this post as well out of respect for Mr. TC who actually reads my posts once in a while!

Alright, now that we've established he's hot you might wonder why I post. I don't usually post for something not Twi-related right? Well, his name is very familiar and I couldn't figure out why. (I know you Stephenie Meyer purists are shaking a finger at me now for being so daft.)

Answer: Henry Cavill was Stephenie Meyer first and frankly only choice to play Edward Cullen.

What Stephenie Meyer had in mind - a young Henry Cavill

If you peek at the Stephenie Meyer website archive of whom she would like to cast in her stories you'll realize just how little say the authors get. Of all the actors listed as her preference the only ones who are actually in any of the films are Daniel Cudmore and Graham Greene. She had chosen them as Emmett and Billy respectively; their roles in the films are more minor as Felix and Harry Clearwater.

So can you ever see Edward as anyone other than Rob Pattinson? I can't see Henry Cavill in that role as Robward is too engrained. Lucky for us though Mr. Cavill will again be in tights playing Superman in 2012.

Is Twilight Bad For Your Health?

2011-06-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

My deepest apologies for being absent for two months. My friend DQ even asked me if I'd just unsubscribed her to my blog. Since my last post I've been to Asia twice - once for fun and the second for family medical stuff. I've decided that as much fun as it sounds to fly around the world that I won't do it if I have to keep flying economy.

So what's with the title of this post? Well it's been roughly two years since I picked up a copy of Twilight. Since then I've developed some health issues so I thought I'd reflect for a bit.

Now this is a doctors opinion but I'm also a crazed Twilight fan so the medical advice is a bit biased.

Health Hazards of Twilight (anyone who has lived with a Twilight fan could write this section...)

- reading Twilight or any related fanfiction for hours on end can't be good for you - no one should forgo food, sleep, or even using the washroom for a sparkly Edward
- it's possible the health of your family suffers when you're too busy reading to actually buy groceries and cook a proper meal
- your marriage could potentially break down because you refuse to acknowledge the actual man in your life since fictitious beautiful dark and brooding men are so much better (or the opposite could happen - see Benefits below!)
- eventually the dust bunnies that build up while you're reading instead of cleaning could rise together and kill you in your sleep

Health Benefits of Twilight?

- with obsession comes the feeling of purpose and drive. I know that our roles as wife, parent, and working woman should be enough but sometimes it's not.
- I'm sure my close family and friends will not want to hear it but Twilight obsession can improve your love life. It helped me open my eyes to my real life Edward minus the obsessive tendencies and constant need to kill me. Lemony fanfic definitely puts one into a mood in search of necessarily sexual tension relief.
- for those of us who have made new friends through our Twilight obsession it feels wonderful to find acceptance and understanding
- finally having an outlet for writing has averted my brain from potentially exploding with unused creative energy

I will treasure these last two years as a time that I've discovered myself and made new friends. It's been a time of personal growth which I don't think I've had the chance to experience since I've been too busy expanding my professional and family life.
It seems that real life now needs me more than I need Twilight. I feel like I've woken up out of a fog that was Twilight madness and suddenly my kids are a bit older and I have more wrinkles. But my marriage is much better than before I went in.

I'm having minor heart surgery in a couple of weeks. I'll be going back to work after only a few days so it really is a small thing. But I thought I should post once more just in case. Don't blame me for being morbid - I have spent the last two years reading about vampires and immortality. I highly doubt that Carlisle would be waiting for me in the unlikely event something were to happen though.

Love to all the Twilight friends I've made and to my family who have been so supportive of my Twilight obsession. I'm sure many of us Twihards are guilty of the sins above but I'm hoping that, like me, the benefits have outweighed the cons and you are happier for it.

Fanfic Rec - Scarlet

2011-03-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

Hi gals,

I'm in Hong Kong right now and there isn't much Twilight related stuff going on. I can't believe I left Vancouver, where they're filming Breaking Dawn, to come here. I hope that when I return to BC in April that they'll still be in town.

Scarlet by Archer24

I really loved this fanfic. Normally I'm a movie buff and I especially like crime/spy/action thrillers. This was right up my alley.

Plot - Bella is the greatest thief the world's never seen; she is only recognized by her scarlet calling card. Edward is FBI, and has been able to catch every criminal he's come across. Little do they know, they are both about to meet their match.

This story is well written. I think it's actually very difficult to write an action sequence well. But this author managed to describe Bella's stealth jewel thieving tactics in a way that is captivating and easy to follow. There are a lot of action scenes involving thieving and fighting but nothing too gruesome. I absolutely loved watching Bella kick ass.

Spoilers - And of course what would a crime action thriller be without a scene where Edward's in a tux and Bella's dressd to the nines doing the tango together.
In the middle of the story it takes an odd turn. It's enough to make you think - really? This is happening? Does this actually make sense and how is this happening so seamlessly? But if you just go with the flow for a chapter it's fine and the story progression seems to make lots of sense and is very entertaining.

Okay, let me know what you think. If any of you have more crime drama fanfics to recommend I'd love to hear about them. I'm feeling a bit addicted to this genre.

Wide Awake Cookie Recipes - Part 1

2011-03-14T01:13:00.000-07:00

So you know how in the movie Julie & Julia the woman bakes her way through Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking? I loved the concept but sadly I suck at cooking.
Her idea inspired me to do something less daunting and more up my alley. My very first fanfiction post in January 2010 was about Wide Awake by AngstGoddess003. It was the first fanfiction I fell in love with. Each chapter is titled after the cookies that Bella bakes for Edward in that part of the story. They're clever titles and I really wanted to see the recipes. From interviews I know AngstGoddess herself is not that much of a baker and I see there are a few recipes on LiveJournal connected to WA but I can't seem to get my hands on them. Hence I decided to create my own list.

These are not my original recipes nor are they linked to AngstGoddess003 in any way. I've compiled this through my usual online recipe search looking for the yummiest sounding cookies! I was thinking it may be fun to do this over a year since there are 52 batches of cookies. Only problem - that's a lot of cookies and I don't know how I'll maintain the skinny bitch figure if I eat all that butter :)

Chapters 1-7

Click title for story link and click Recipe for the cookie recipe link

1. Gingerbread Zombies
Recipe - FoodNetwork

2. Bloody Newtons
Recipe - GroupRecipes

3. Double Fudge Rendezvous
Recipe - FoodNetwork UK

4. Peanut Butter Panaceas
Recipe - AllRecipes

5. Maniacal Mints
Recipe - MarthaStewart

6. Caramel Comforts
Recipe - ThePastryAffair

7. Bittersweet Butterscotch
Recipe - AllRecipes

Hope you guys have a chance to make any one of these this week. If not at least read each chapter! I'll post some more later!

Fanfic Rec - Hit by Destiny

2011-03-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

Hit By Destiny by ocdmess

Well here's another angsty long fanfic worth a read. If you are a fan of Emancipation Proclamation then you'll like this one. It's not for the faint of heart - there's bullying, assault, and just downright scary shit that happens.

Plot - Edward in this story is the epitome of the conceited arrogant teenage asshole. Of course he's a beautiful manwhore to boot. Bella is the quiet isolated girl at school who is constantly bullied. No one knows her story and no one cares. She has secrets that eat her up so badly she wants to die. She's nearly killed when Edward crashes his car into her on a dark night. Will they both be saved from their demons by this fateful accident?

My thoughts...

I enjoyed the authors style of writing and appreciated that the first ten chapters are a lead up before the crash so we know what we're dealing with. The villains aren't the usual suspects and neither are the friends. Edward's character is such an asshole at the beginning it's almost too difficult to read. But I stuck with it knowing that there must be some form of redemption and a love story with it. I wasn't disappointed. If you like reading E get all soft and mushy on B then you'll be happy.
Word to the wise - if you're like me and keep reading to get to a good steamy part you'll be reading for a while. There is a lot of cockblocking in this fanfic but it doesn't feel out of place. If there were more lemons it would be out of character for this Bella.
The title felt obvious to me but I didn't really get the deeper meaning of it until I got to the last two pages. It kept me happy and surprised until the end.
Wishing there were outtakes but you know we can't have everything!
As always I'm adding this to the "Ward of the Day" fanfic rec section on the left sidebar.

It feels like this blog is becoming fanfic based. Good thing I'm heading to Hong Kong in a few days so I can add some travel back in here.

Fanfic Rec - Help Wanted

2011-03-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

I see that some of you have now been reading Pound of Flesh by jaxon22. Well she has another story that is not as dark but still very good. Sometimes you need light but it's not fluffy.

Help Wanted by Jaxon22

Plot - Bella starts a position as the personal assistant to the arrogant, rude, and distant Hollywood actor Edward Cullen. She gets to find out more about the real man behind the facade. Lemons and love ensue.

As I mentioned this story is lighthearted and swoon worthy. Edward is the ultimate Hollywood jackass with a sordid past. There's a scene early in the story where Bella is reading lines with Edward and they kiss. It's surprisingly hot for just a small kiss. The writing is good and the lemons get much more involved. There are the standard trials and tribulations that Bella has to deal with being in the public eye with Edward. But it's still cute and worth reading.

There are Outtakes showing Edward's POV of Bella's job interview and their important moments. Definitely need to check those out after you're done the main story.

Red Riding Hood - Advance Screening Review

2011-03-09T23:22:00.000-08:00

I just got home from seeing Red Riding Hood. Yes, it was an advanced viewing - lucky enough that Lorabell from Confessions of a Twicrack Addict happened to receive free tickets and was kind enough to invite me. I love it when my boring Wednesday evening turns into something exciting and Twilight related.

If you haven't heard Red Riding Hood is the latest film directed by Catherine Hardwicke who directed Twilight. Red Riding Hood was filmed here in Vancouver, B.C. and those reasons were enough for me to want to see it. Not to mention that you know I love Amanda Siegfried from her performance in Mamma Mia (see my post here from summer 2010 - Amanda sings beautifully).

It's tough to review this without giving too many spoilers so be warned. Amanda plays a girl named Valerie who lives in a small town on the edge of a dark forest. A werewolf has been preying on this town for generations and keeps the people in fear of every full moon. The killings had stopped for a while with the townspeople offering their best livestock as sacrifices but somehow it starts again. Valerie is childhood sweethearts with Peter (Shiloh Fernandez). But she ends up in an arranged marriage with a wealthy blacksmith named Henry (Max Irons).

Besides having the Twilight indie feel that I have come to associate with Catherine Hardwicke, this story has hints of Twilight with Valerie being caught between what's good for her and what her heart wants. Billy Burke plays Valerie's father. We had hoped he would make an appearance since the Twilight cast were staying only a block away. But alas I think the idea of press and fans at the end of a workday was too much for him so the Twilight gods weren't with us tonight.

My thoughts? Overall I liked it and I'm glad that I saw it. This movie is visually stunning. Lots of snow and mist. It's B.C. weather at its best. The actors were all pleasant enough to look at as well. The main love interest Peter played by Shiloh Fernandez had an Edward Cullen-ness to him - it was the dark complexion and the hair. Also the black sheep bad boy look helped his appeal.

Lorabell was more fond of Max Iron's character Henry who is the "friend" in the love triangle.

If you're looking for steamy love scenes I'll remind you this movie is rated PG-13. Nothing too risque going on but more than Twilight at least.

I already see that this film has been roasted by critics. You know I'm a fan of Twilight and its sequels and they've all received their fair share of Razzie nominations. So do I really care what critics say? Not when it comes to my 14 year old teenage girl side that somehow didn't come out until I was in my mid thirties.

Let me know what you think when you've seen it. It comes to theatres this Friday.

Fanfic Rec - Hydraulic Level 5

2011-03-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

Hydraulic Level 5 by Gondolier

I'm really an indoor girl. I don't do extreme sports. I live at the bottom of a ski hill and haven't been up it in over 10 years. So you can understand my reluctance to read Hydraulic Level 5 by Gondolier. For all you non water folk the title is a white water rafting reference and the first chapter is set during a rafting trip. I got completely lost with all the terminology and felt icky and wet. It also starts with a story about children named Tony, Isabel, Daisy, and Evan. It left me confused.

But you know what? I acknowledge I was confused because I'm an idiot.

This story is worth the read and it really does NOT revolve around sports. And the story of the little kids is for a memoir Edward is writing so it's super duper sweet.

Plot - Edward and Bella are childhood sweethearts who get married young and then divorce. Edward becomes the celebrity author of the Spoon Creek Vampires series. Bella is in PR and lives in Washington still and it's been 7 years since their breakup. They will need to see each other again for Rosalie and Emmett's wedding. As always it's a story of them fighting it out, lots of sexual tension, and then rekindling their friendship and romance.

This fanfic works for many reasons. It glimpses into the celebrity life a la Robert Pattinson with his crazed fans and paparazzi. It walks you through their childhood anecdotes without boring you. And it has unexpected twists and turns that make your heart wrench but yet seem natural and obvious in hindsight.

It's not heavy on the lemons so I deem it as a mature fic eg. you need to be a grownup to appreciate the story without the sex. You read it for the lovely storyline and powerful message.

Don't forget she has Hydraulic Level 5 Outtakes as well.
Thanks to Lorabell from Confessions of a TwiCrack Addict for convincing me to get past the sports metaphors and plod on.

100 Monkeys in Vancouver

2011-03-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

100 Monkeys

I have not been a huge Jackson fan. He's okay and I've already posted about my indifference to Jacksonitis. But this week I had dinner with Lorabell from Confessions of a Twicrack Addict. She mentioned the 100 Monkeys concert happening in Vancouver and suggested I should go.

I hummed and hawed knowing that Twired Jen really would be disappointed if I didn't attend in her honour. But the real thing pushing me over the edge? The promise of possibly seeing Rob and Kristen. The last time there was a 100 Monkeys show in town they was there.

Remember this from 2009?

Rob at 100 Monkeys Vancouver 2009

I figured if they were going to come out of hiding for anything it might be to this show. Totally worth the $20 for the chance.
I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that I don't go to clubs anymore. I've got a busy job, 2 kids, and soccer mom duties on my days off. But this is Twilight related stuff so I had to push my boundaries.

My sister and her husband were kind enough to accompany me. She was the original one to introduce me to Twilight and I think she's still a fan but not a total nutjob like I am.

Through the night we joined up with many Twihards including Lorabell from TwiCrackAddict, Malicious Mandy, red_bella, Twi_Lin, and RobbedMyHeart. I've forgotten everyone else's aliases. We had awesome seats.

The opening band didn't look old enough to be in the club with us.

I was disappointed when they announced that Jackson was filming all day 90 minutes outside Vancouver and wouldn't be playing until they moved to another venue down the street in 2 hours.

100 Monkeys sans Jackson was still enjoyable.

At 10pm we had to move everyone in the rain down the street three blocks and wait outside again to a sports bar. It was bizarre seeing this sports bar packed with women.

The opening band played again at midnight. There were so many people trying to peep through the door in the kitchen to where the Monkeys were waiting that it became a show just watching the paparazzi.

Yes, by this time they STILL hadn't come on the stage.

Eventually at 1am the 100 Monkeys with Jackson finally came on stage. By this time I'd waited for 6 hours to see him!

This is how far away we were. I'm short so I trade a clear view to proximity.

We had been standing in the same spot keeping our place for almost 2 hours. At least I was only wearing kitten heels but I was silently cursing Twired Jen hoping that Jackson would be worth it.

He was worth the wait.

These are some videos my sister took. I love that her camera takes HD video. The screencaps are better than my pictures!

Even my brother in law said he thought Jackson was a good singer and the 100 Monkeys were good without him but great with him.

He is very charismatic and those guys are a much better band live than on my iPod.

Can someone remind me of where Jackson's accent is from? It's very distinct but not pure southern.

Thanks to all my friends infected with Jacksonitis who convinced me to go. Sadly there was no sign of Rob or Kristen but they're still in town for a few more weeks so there's still hope.

Breaking Dawn Isle Esme Night Wallpapers

2011-02-28T02:00:00.000-08:00

cross posted on Twi-Mobile

So this is the original Isle Esme photo that Summit released on Valentine's Day

I didn't really like it. It's gloomy looking and not romantic.

So isn't this better?

Desktop size 1900 X 1200

I ended up making iPhone and iPad versions for myself so thought I'd share them with you. Threw in a Blackberry one too!

iPhone 640 X 960

iPad 1024 X 1024

Blackberry/LG Neon

I can't wait to see what it looks like in the film!

Hau`oli la Hanau Honolulu Girl

2011-02-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

It's Honolulu Girl's birthday today!

As you can guess the phrase in the title is Hawaiian for Happy Birthday - I have no idea how to pronounce it and I'm not sure if HG/Suzie does either given what a Cali girl she really is.

Us at First Beach La Push - gorgeous day!

Remember that Suzie was my Forks trip roomie? We met through her blog True Blood Twilight a year ago. I am so happy to have met such a kindred spirit in this Twilight blogosphere. If it weren't for us sticking it out together in the small town we probably would have run screaming to the nearest Four Seasons. We clicked from the get go and I'm forever grateful that she convinced me to join her.

This girl is busy - she's got her regular blog True Blood Twilight

plus a film review blog I Adore Books and Film that she shares with her teenage daughter.

She's also a writer of very hot fanfiction

Cinderella: A Tale of Lust

Enchantment

Le Moulin Rouge

She has a regular day job but her real passion is writing and film. She's now writing film reviews in Inside Out Hawaii magazine. Also who can forget her recent extra work on Hawaii 5-0 with the gorgeous Alex O'Loughlin.

Suzie I feel for you with the closed eyes.
But we're all looking at the cute guy anyways ;)

Since you're now an iPad addict as well I made you some super simple birthday gifts. Remember I've been going for minimalist recently - finding it easier to look through my iPad apps that way.

Click for 1024X1024px.

With a bit of Bella and Edward from Breaking Dawn

Sorry for not making you a True Blood one but with all the RobPorn on my computer there isn't any space for Alex Skarsgard :)

I will however throw in a pic that someone else made with my little message added :) Thought this desktop was very pretty.

Here are some messages from kiTT at Tongue-Twied

And an awesome video kiTT made. Gotta love the 80's

Robmusement

And Lisa

Happy Birthday my dear! Love you and miss you so!

Fanfic Rec - Pound of Flesh

2011-02-24T20:32:00.000-08:00

A Pound of Flesh by Jaxon 22

So I'd put off reading this one for a while. Don't ask me why since it's won a shitload of awards. Maybe I was a bit put off by the title (the imagery of an actual pound of flesh in my profession is as real as it gets) even though I know it's in reference to The Merchant of Venice. Or maybe I didn't think I'd like the whole prison love story thing. Edward is an inmate and Bella is his tutor in prison. Turns out Edward knows her from the past. They're both angsty and stubborn - some very hot arguments ensue.

Well, I'm very glad I finally decided to give in and read it. This story has won awards for good reason. It's a serious one but moves at a good pace. The foreplay is intense and once you finally reach the lemons they are hot. Be in for the long burn. It's not complete but I'm still satisfied. For all you English lit buffs out there I think you'll like it. I remember reading The Merchant of Venice in school and if I have to relive it I'm glad it's with PunkAssWard. This story has also inspired me to pull out all the pencil skirts and blouses again. Don't ask me why since I'm not supposed to be sexy in front of patients but the urge to become as sexy as Tutorella is hard to suppress.

I wanted to thank the author Jaxon22 as well. You know how sometimes you read a fic and even the inspirational quote at the top is already poignant? Yeah this is how her writing is. Without even starting to write she's already chosen words to get me thinking. I actually let the quote sink in for a while before starting each chapter and think "well fuck me but that's brilliant."

By the way isn't that banner beautiful? It was nominated for an award as well. It's so steamy I may have to figure out a way to put it on my iPhone without the kids seeing...

In case you wanted to know, here's the list of awards this fanfic has won

'Best Written FF of the Year so Far' at the Twilight All Human Awards. Sept '10.
'Most Original Story' at The Hidden Star Awards. Sept '10.
'Best Lemon' at The Sparkleteer Awards. Dec '10
'Best Plot' at The Sparkleteer Awards. Dec '10
'Most Seductive Tease' at The Sparkleteer Awards. Dec '10.
'Best Worth the Wait Lemon' at The Golden Lemon Awards. Feb '11.
'Most re-read Lemon' at The Golden Lemon Awards. Feb '11.
'Best Make-Out' at The Golden Lemon Awards. Feb '11

Happy reading!

Fanfiction Recs - Author DoUTrustMe

2011-02-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

I have updated the "Ward of the Day" on the right sidebar. It's now organized alphabetically because I'm a bit OCD like that.

Here are a few things I've been reading lately by an author named DoUTrustMe...

Blame It On Rio by DoUTrustMe

Imagine waking up on an island with well-endowed Edward inside you. And yes neither of you remember how you got there. This fic is cute. It's comedic and anytime we have seducing Edward referred to as Operation Gigantor you know you're in for a good time.

Died and Gone to Heaven by DoUTrustMe

See the banner? Yes, that's DoctorWard right there. I really do like this story and not just because I'm a doctor. It's meant to be comedic but in fact I find it extremely melancholy. I don't want to spoil the story so can't tell you too much of the plot. FYI, the first chapter is name Doctor SexGod. It's really super sweet. I had to give my hubby a gigantic hug after I'd finished it - and yes, I mean just a hug - because it's just that sweet.

"Rob in a Pink Shirt" Day

2011-02-22T19:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, Rob is carrying a pink sleeping bag too - Remember Me filming

Although I do love a good Rob pic fest this post isn't about him. Although he does look adorable in pink.

I had to get your attention didn't I?

Now to the real reason behind this post...

February 23rd is Pink Shirt Day here in Canada. It has been accepted as an initiative over much of our country to wear pink shirts to support anti-bullying.

Pink Shirt Day was started somewhere in Nova Scotia after a high school boy was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school.

“David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organized a high-school protest to wear pink in sympathy with a Grade 9 [sophomore] boy who was being bullied…[They] took a stand against bullying when they protested against the harassment of a new Grade 9 student by distributing pink T-shirts to all the boys in their school.
‘I learned that two people can come up with an idea, run with it, and it can do wonders,’ says Mr. Price, 17, who organized the pink protest. ‘Finally, someone stood up for a weaker kid.’
So Mr. Shepherd and some other headed off to a discount store and bought 50 pink tank tops. They sent out message to schoolmates that night, and the next morning they hauled the shirts to school in a plastic bag.
As they stood in the foyer handing out the shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face spoke volumes. ‘It looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders,’ Mr. Price recalled.
The bullies were never heard from again.”

Reading this story makes me almost weep everytime. I'm sure many of us have stories to tell about being bullied as a child. I don't have a particular rough one. We grew up as one of a handful of Asian families in a lower middle class neighbourhood in Toronto. I learned the word "chink" very early in life but I'm forever grateful to my sister. Even though she was only 20 months older I think she shielded me from lots of name calling on the school bus and taught me to ignore all the taunting. I don't ever remember feeling ashamed of being Chinese and I thank her for that.

Now to present day, as a mother of two children who are in their early years of school one of my biggest fears is that they will end up being the bullied. How do you protect your kids from it? Do you teach them to fight back? What kind of message is it that it's okay to hit? Should we just teach them to be passive or run away? Are we supposed to teach our kids to be a tattle-tale? I am looking to those of you who have been through this age for advice. My husband and I have tried to teach our kids to always stand up for themselves but to not fight - but I can't say I'd be okay with my kids not fighting back.

I hope the anti-bullying message spreads. Is it something that they've heard of in the US? I'm curious.

So tomorrow I'll be wearing a pink shirt. My boys will too and I hope my husband manages to scrounge something up. I wonder if this will be acceptable?

Interview with a Cupcake

2011-02-22T00:03:00.000-08:00

"blushing"

Thanks again to Alisha for the I Love Your Blog award for the month of February.

She asked me 15 questions for her Q&A. It's posted over at her blog Black Nailed Reviews so please head over there for a read.

Come check out my interview/Q&A with Alisha!

I do love the colour scheme she's chosen - black/white/turquoise. Just lovely and she is a sweetie.
Lastly she has started a personal blog of her own called Eat Read Love - please have a peek!

I've finally been reading more fanfic. More fanfic recs to come!

New Travel and Treats Summary Pages

2011-02-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

I have now amassed so many posts I realized it was time to clean up a bit. It happened when I couldn't find my own Forks posts!

This is what happens when you don't clean up.

Stuff like this gets put away and no one ever sees it.

Yes those pics are Rob and he's with animals. I found them at Strictly Rob from the Hackett catalog photoshoot. Just goes to show you can lose the good stuff when you have too much info.

Hence I've made Travel and Treats pages to go with the Menu labels up top. It should make it easier for people to navigate where I've been and what I've made.

So check out where I've been in the Travel page here.

And what I've made here.

Robsten Made Me Cry

2011-02-16T13:49:00.000-08:00

So I was surfing today looking for UHQ pics of KStew (btw let me know if you have a good source). I was at the AllKristenStewart blog and came across this Robsten video. I'm sure all you Robsten freaks have seen this many times (yes that's you Lisa and Jen - Happy Birthday sweetie). But you know I've been in a mild bit of denial about them for a long time. I just didn't want to believe it because I didn't want to see it fall apart before Breaking Dawn finished.

My fav pic - in colour this time!

Now I've become a bigger Robsten fan than a Bella/Edward fan. What the hell is wrong with me? Maybe because they're so frickin cute together.

Anyways here's the video that I had to rewatch multiple times yesterday and I teared up every time. It doesn't help that I have loved this song since the 90's and may have a small thing for Richard Marx.

And yes I have this video playing in the background while I'm writing this post!

Off to grab tissues...

Squeals!

2011-02-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

First let me thank Alisha from Black Nailed Reviews. She has chosen my little blog for her "I Love Your Blog" award for the month. See my left sidebar icon? Yes it's a pretty cool badge. Thank you!

Other news...

Twilight Lexicon and my other blog Twi-Mobile are now affiliates. I announced it on Twi-Mobile but I was so excited I had to share it here too.

If you haven't heard of them Twilight Lexicon are the uber fans who have their own panel at the Twilight conventions and have even gone on the Twilight movie sets to visit and report.

Thanks to their tech guy (who is married to one of the co-owners). He has been awesome!

Do You Buy Yourself Valentine's Cards?

2011-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

The answer to my title question is usually NO. Except this year I was at Walmart with the kids and saw the Eclipse Valentine's cards and had to buy them. Yes I bought them all.

Here's a pic of all recent Twilight Valentine's swag being given away on Twifans by this uber fan @Twilidiot. I'm super jealous of the chocolates and boxed Valentine's and wished we lived in the USA.

Reminder - this is not my pic - I wish!

But my favourite guilty pleasure is opening up the "talking" card over and over again.

Here's the video posted by @twilidiot as well.

I am so grateful she had these on flickr since everytime I open up the card I have to do it stealthily. Kids are sleeping now and it's actually quite loud. It makes me a bit giddy and I started buzzing just a little.

And just so you know, Team Edward people, I really am closing the card before Jacob's voice comes on!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I Heart Twilight Wallpapers

2011-02-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

cross posted with my other blog Twimobile

Apologies to those who follow both my blogs for all this double posting. But I finally got my copy of Photoshop working on my new computer so forgive me while I get some fun stuff out of my system.

In honour of Valentine's Day...for your desktop, iPhone, iPad, and Blackberry

Desktop 1920X1200

iPhone 4 640X960

Blackberry 480X360

iPad 1024X1024

Desktop 1920X1200

480X360

iPhone 4 640X960

iPad 1024X1024

I'll be adding these to the Mobile Wallpaper Archives over at Twi-Mobile of course. Let me know what you think.

New Twilight 3D Wallpapers

2011-02-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

cross posted at Twimobile

Like any regular girl I have a thing for Tiffany. I love Tiffany blue and would cover everything in it if I could. I thought you might like these.

Desktop 1920X1200

Blackberry 480X360

iPhone 4 640X960

iPad 1024X1024

Here are the Edward ones.

Desktop 1920X1200

Blackerry 480X360

iPhone 4 640X960

iPad 1024X1024

Let me know what you think.

Breaking Dawn Wallpapers

2011-02-11T23:37:00.000-08:00

cross posted with Twi-Mobile

In celebration of Valentine's Day and also Breaking Dawn filming coming to Vancouver, I made some Breaking Dawn wallpapers.

Click for full size. I've made desktop, iPhone, Blackberry, and iPad versions.

Desktop 1920X1242 - my personal wallpaper now

Desktop 1920X1242

iPhone 4 640X960 retina screen

Blackberry 480X360

iPad 1024X1024

iPad 1024X1024 - original Summit logo

I found the original Summit logo too red so I toned it down a bit. Let me know what you think or if more sizes are needed.

Fanfic Rec - 107yearoldvirgin

2011-02-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Remember I wrote a rec on Heat of a Blue Flame by 107yearoldvirgin mentioning she is a veteran fanfic author. Well, as promised, here is a rec more of her stories.

Progress - The Original Sleep Humper Story

I know, the name of this fic gets me every time. And yes, the name says it all. This is comedy and a cute story. It's light so breeze through it. Edward is the sleep humper. Bella has body dysmorphic disorder (long name but it's a long name for "she doesn't see herself clearly"). Sweet that two people who think they're broken and undesirable can find each other.

Puddle Jumping

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It made me laugh and cry as well. This is a light hearted fic but with a strong message - it's completed as well. I'm not sure it was meant to be an after school special but it is. It's very cleverly written and told from a present day Bella looking back. Edward is gorgeous and brilliant - in fact he's one of those super geniuses. He's got Aspergers. She loves him. It's a very cute story and is followed by many regular Twihards but also by some special interest groups. For good reason as it's a lovely tale that sheds light on the reality of falling in love with someone whose mind doesn't quite work the way yours does. Sound familiar?

I'll be adding it to the "Ward of the Day" fanfic recs on the sidebar of course.

Enjoy!

Save a Heart - Twihearted

2011-02-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed the Twihearted candy heart on the right sidebar.

It's an idea started by Dangrdafne I believe. In honour of Twitarded's SnarkierThanYou's mom there is a tribute page on the American Heart Association site. Click the heart to be taken the American Heart Association to donate to fighting heart disease.

STY is a very lovely lady and she wrote a very moving post after her mother suddenly passed away last year. Her post and her tribute page at the AHA has reminded me to kick the ass of every patient who isn't taking care of themselves. I've become much more strict with making sure everyone has a normal blood pressure, sugar level, and cholesterol. Smoking, eating poorly, and not exercising are all things that I'm harping on about again. Don't get me wrong - I would always shake my head and tsk-tsk but now I'll give them "the talk" over and over until they're so sick of me they actually decide to change their habits.

So please go and donate. And of course take care of yourselves.

For those friends who know me in real life, I vow to exercise more too okay? :) And you know Mr. TC forces me to eat my veggies as much as possible so no worries there.

MotU iPad Wallpaper

2011-02-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

cross posted on Twi-Mobile

You know how I love reading Master of the Universe? I found out very recently that the author Icy has an iPad. I decided to convert our beloved MadMen spoof desktop to fit on the iPad.

Best if you use iPad in mostly landscape mode
Click to open full resolution for iPad

Best if you use iPad in mostly portrait mode
Click to open full resolution for iPad

These are added to the iPad Wallpaper Archive at my other site Twi-Mobile.

Harry Potter Exhibit Seattle Review

2011-02-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

We went to see the Harry Potter exhibit at the Pacific Science Centre in Seattle on Saturday January 15, 2011. We chose that weekend because our seven year old loves Harry Potter and it is his birthday in January.

Hotel

We stayed at the Sheraton Seattle via Hotwire $89 a night with tax (check out my How to Use Hotwire post)
By the way I do like this hotel. The bed and furnishings aren't as nice as the Westin Seattle but it's on the block next to H&M, Nordstrom, and Banana Republic.

Tickets

At almost 30 bucks an adult pricing seems expensive since we were in it for 90 minutes but in hindsight it was worth it to us since it's so exclusive and included admission to the rest of the Science Centre. We needed to pre-order online and select a time slot to show up.

We walked the two blocks to Westlake Centre to catch the Monorail to the Pacific Science Centre.
As a complete aside the Hot Topic in Westlake Centre was closing. This was bittersweet because I really do like this store - remember going in there with HonoluluGirl on our Twilight Forks trip!
On the plus side I paid $20 for all this stuff; yes 4 Eclipse T-shirts, 1 Hunger Games shirt, an Edward tote bag, and a bookmark.

By the way my kids loved the Monorail. It is a 2 minute ride to the Pacific Science Centre from the downtown shopping core. I loved the Hogwart's Express motif on the Monorail too - nice touch!

Seattle Centre

The Pacific Science Centre is part of the Seattle Centre complex. There's a big carnival circus area which was closed since it's pouring rain/winter time. The Space Needle is here. It's expensive and we opted to save it for the next trip. The restaurant up to rotates and has an awesome dessert for the kids so we'll be sure to go.

Pacific Science Centre

We picked up tickets at the will call booth and there was no line. We went right into the Science centre but couldn't line up for the Harry Potter until 15 minutes before our time slot. While there we saw some Star Wars characters promoting the upcoming Star Wars exhibit.

Didn't expect to see Darth Vader on this trip

By the way the cafeteria has pizza corn dogs cheeseburgers. The most enthralling exhibit for the kids was watching a boa constrictor eat a full sized rat. Disgusting but fascinating!

My favourite was the butterfly house (which Mr. TC found utterly boring of course).

Harry Potter Exhibit

There were clear signs about "No Running or Rough Play" in the exhibit. We should have these around my home so maybe my two boys would be more gentle.
We opted to pay $5 for a handheld audio tour to supplement the signs under each item - it was well worth it!

Now there's a no photo policy in there and there are very detailed blog posts elsewhere about every item. I won't regurgitate them here.

My favourites?

The sorting hat at the beginning that tells visitors which house they belong to.
The fat lady video portrait on the wall - lifesize!
All the employees have English accents.
I was expecting a bunch of props in a regular exhibit hall - well I'd be wrong. The decor, lighting, sound, and even smoke effects were astounding.
We walked through Hagrid's Hut and even sat in the armchair. There was a dragon egg on the table which would rattle sometimes - the kids loved it!

They recreated the great hall for the last room - with candle floating in the air and everything.

These pics are from the Harry Potter Exhibition Official Guidebook I was forced to buy since we weren't allowed to take photos.

Example of a Quidditch board game - can't buy this anywhere!

They had the real time-turner from the movie.
You can buy one for $60 USD!

Seeing Professor Umbridge's office in its entirety - with kitten plates and all.

This Hungarian Horntail's head was huge - really freaked out the kids.

Getting to score goals with Quaffles kept the kids busy.

Pulling out mandrakes was very fun - stock photo of course
Those aren't my kids!

The wall of degrees went up two stories - so authentic.

Loved that Rob had touched this cup.

Hermione's gown was beautiful

Squeals for seeing these outfits in real life.

It was surreal to walk around the corner in the ball costume area since I knew these were coming. I was of course with my husband and kids and felt like I was buzzing. You know when you're watching Twilight and you need to be alone to have a moment? It's not like a lemon lust moment but just a need to be with your own thoughts to enjoy being content. Well that's how I felt. Like VitaminR70 had warned me they rope off all the costumes but they're within arms reach. I could have been over that rope and sniffing the fabric in no time. But surprisingly didn't feel the urge. In fact I was more enthralled with Cho Chang's dress. It's even more gorgeous in real life and as a girl who has worn a cheong sam or two in her time I can tell you this is different. I feel the urge to have this commissioned somewhere - maybe for Halloween?

Spent a good few minutes gawking and basking.

The gift shop was packed. You couldn't walk or breathe it was so full. Stuff was expensive but that was expected. Everything was Disney priced - about 30% over what you think you should pay.

Wizard chess set for $500 - pic by Moonfever0

I love my Maruader's map heat activated mug - much cheaper than the $50 Marauder's Map that was for sale.

My kids really wanted wands. The Ollivander's part was very cool - the setup was just like the movie. But the $50 price tag was too much.

They also had brooms for sale and the boys couldn't understand why I wouldn't buy them. The 8 year old wanted a Firebolt - I think it was about $300.

Autographed Rob Pattinson Photo

2011-02-06T14:04:00.001-08:00

So I've been on a bit of a Harry Potter kick lately. My husband teases me every time Cedric Diggory comes on. And you all know I'm a collector. It only makes sense I went searching for autographed Cedric Diggory stuff.

Look what I got?

I don't know why it makes me so happy to see Rob dancing with an Asian chick. And not the fair skinned gorgeous supermodel kind but a regular girl.

Of course I bought this from a UACC and AFTAL certified dealer.

Do you know what else I found pretty? Hermione's shoes. I don't think you see them in the movie.

For the Harry Potter fans I'm posting next about the Harry Potter exhibit in Seattle - Cedric Diggory's clothes!

Twilight Trip to Europe - Tuscany Part 3 - Volterra & Sienna

2011-02-03T08:34:00.000-08:00

Okay we're at the end of our Europe trip.

We've travelled to

London
Venice
Bologna Part 1 (Parmigiano Reggiano) and 2 (Balsamic Vinegar and Prosciutto)
Florence

Tuscany posts

Part 1 - Greve in Chianti

Part 2 - Montepulciano (New Moon set)

Part 3 - Volterra - this post!

I'ved decided to add a Part 4 - Sienna because Volterra's is quite long.

Tuscany - Part 3 - Volterra

So it's about a 90 minute drive from Florence to Sienna on the autostrada. We went to Sienna first and then headed west to Volterra before getting on a plane in Pisa to leave for London.

But I'll cover Volterra first because this is a Twilight blog :) Sienna will have to wait for the next post.

Volterra

Volterra is quite a big tourist attraction. And not because of the Twilight craze. It's got a lot of Etruscan ruins and is known for alabaster pottery.

beautiful alabaster lamps in a Volterra shop

The place was very busy. Like tough to find parking and hard to see a map kind of busy.

First sign of Volterra

This second sign for the Museo della Tortura seemed to fit my idea of Volterra better.

Traffic jam going to Volterra

Twilight

Once we parked in a multilevel underground parkade we managed to find our way to the official Volterra tourist office in the Piazza del Priori. This felt like Twilight tourism central. Click on their link to see official Volterra Twilight tours. Once again I was worried my husband would be bored so we did the self-guided thing.

They had great maps just for the Twilight fans. The staff were extremely friendly. The woman who helped me was a Twilight fan. You know how crazy people can tell who else is crazy? Yes, she was very specific about making sure we didn't miss small Twilight details in her town.

Shopping

Yes I have to segway into shopping here because the only Twilight stuff was really at the Volterra tourism office.

Displays full of random merchandise

This poster column is quite giant. It dominates this place. That's the way it should be!

Signs on the wall

More signs

Yes I saved the plastic bag

It's the last one they had and it's XL but I'm so happy to own this

free map

I was walking with my head down in this town trying to follow this thing

discusses Stephenie Meyer's choice of Volterra in New Moon

couldn't manage to find a Pepsi can there but they gave out postcards for free

bookmarks aren't that useful for us e-reader people

I love my alabaster heart

Yes it's silly but I'm glad to own an alabaster piece from Volterra, especially a shiny apple

This completed my Twilight stash from the whole Europe trip. I'm glad I brought an extra suitcase.

Twilight Sights

According to the map these were all the places that correspond to important Twilight New Moon locations.

Alice drives into the city - these walls are well enforced

The real Volterra clocktower

vicolo Mazzoni
Bella finds Edward in Mazzoni alley

Entrance to the fancy Viti mansion - home of the Volturi

Fancy lobby for the Viti mansion - no sign of Gianna

Manhole in the alley

No space to sign with all the other Twihards

The wall of Twihard signatures that was in the Viti mansion has been moved for easier access. I asked the tourism office for directions.

I'm the "<3 Always TC"

Cute set up by the wall

Ancient Ruins

I'm glad that my husband loves things like ancient ruins. It made our Volterra trip enjoyable for both of us. He was actually quite stoked.

The Etruscan times date back to 5th-3rd BCE before the Roman times. There is a museum here for those artifacts but we stayed outdoors.

I wanted to look from afar but couldn't resist accompanying Mr. TC since he had so diligently followed me through all these Twilight locales. Anyone who knows me well may be shocked that I'd actually set foot in this area since I have a thing usually against dirt. Yes I know it makes me a total princess but I never said I wasn't one.

Ruins of an ancient Roman bath and theatre from 5th BCE.

Stage and Roman baths behind it

Corridor leading to circular seating

Sorry - hard to read but I included it for completeness

There's a lovely view

Cool to imagine Romans sitting here over 2000 years ago

Almost done, Sienna is next!

Twilight Trip to Europe - Tuscany Part 2

2011-02-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

So far on the Europe trip we`d travelled to

London
Venice
Bologna Part 1 (Parmigiano Reggiano) and 2 (Balsamic Vinegar and Prosciutto)
Florence

Tuscany posts
Part 1 - Greve in Chianti
Part 2 - Montepulciano (Twilight Set) - this post!
Part 3 - Volterra and Sienna

This is the view from Montepulciano looking out to the rest of Tuscany

Tuscany - Part 2 - Montepulciano

See Montepulciano is the most southern point on our trip

In planning my trip I realized just how far out of the way it would be to visit Montepulciano. But my husband was totally supportive. I guess he wanted to avoid hearing me whine with remorse if we missed the chance to see the New Moon set.

It is about 70 miles from Florence to Montepulciano and would take roughly 90 minutes to drive there. It was an interesting drive and we got a bit lost despite the GPS. But who cares when you`re in Italy :)

Montepulciano is known for its wine. That`s why most people go. The Twilight thing is quite a big industry as well of course but not nearly the way it is in Forks.

The view of Montepulciano on the road in

Twilight stuff

Yes, this section comes first because that's why we're all here :)

Incidentally the first time I ever contacted another Twihard was when I saw Dangrdafne's comment on a Twitarded post. She mentioned she'd done the Montepulciano New Moon thing. She shared her photos with me and we've been friends ever since. Thanks to DD for all the tips!

Before we start I wanted to show you the map from the Montepulciano official tourism office or here.

Official Twilight Montepulciano map - click to enlarge

They have a New Moon tour but I did not partake and thought my husband would be too bored. So we decided to hunt down all the sites ourselves.

We tried to make it for noon but I didn`t get to the Piazza Grande square until 12:10 :(

Porta al Prato
Where they enter in Alice's Porsche

Piazza delle Erbe
The Porsche comes through this route

Piazza Grande
Yes it`s true there is no fountain here in real life

Mr. TC left me alone in the square to have a moment to myself. He couldn't be around when I was in public taking photos with my dolls.

I brought mini E and B all the way from Vancouver just for this moment.

I know he's supposed to be shirtless but this is pretty close.

Portone del Palazzo Comunale
I feel tiny in this doorway - squeals that Rob stood here

For a Twihard this gave me the ultimate thrill. I was buzzing with energy sure that I'd be getting weird looks. But no one seemed to care - I guess they've seen much crazier than this :)

Yeah to be in the same place as the New Moon filming group

On to other filming locations

We went down to the Red Cellar where they filmed the winding stairs to the Volturi. Holy sh*t that place was freaky. I didn't even know if we were in the right place because there were no people around. Very spooky and Mr. TC couldn't believe I was willing to go down there.
Twilight makes us do strange things.

Seriously couldn't get out of there fast enough.

More pretty pics along the Porsche path

Vicolo della Concordia
Where Bella stops to search for Edward
more squeals since I love Kristen Stewart

Mr. TC couldn't help taking a pic of grate on the ground with Twilight graffiti

Lastly I really wanted to get the aerial shot of Montepulciano that is from New Moon. I found out from the director commentary on the New Moon DVD that you'd need to go out from Montepulciano a slight way. Managed to find it on the map but my husband and I could not figure out how to get to that point. Sigh that I'll settle for watching the DVD again.

Shopping

Things I bought in Montepulciano were all Twilight related.

These were purchased from the official tourism office. It's very small and in the grand square.

Next to the famous Edward/Bella doorway there is a small cigar shop. They've got T shirts, mugs, and some really nice New Moon cushions. I just couldn't justify carrying an Edward pillow on the plane home.

One things to remember is that shops in Italy close in the afternoon for a break. Luckily smart business people know that tourists shop all day. There was a very nice gift shop along the Porsche route that was open with lots of New Moon stuff. Reminded me a lot of my favourite stores at home. They had posters, handmade soap, and 4X6 shots of the cast for sale. Can't remember the name of this store but the owner was very nice. Apparently there are tons of fans from Japan that stop by.

Food

Lastly we did have to eat before we left. Food was okay but the wine, from Montepulciano, was exceptional. A nice dry red.

Pici pasta - apparently Rob is rumoured to like these

Couldn't resist watching New Moon on my iPhone while in Montepulciano
Look - matching street!

By the way, if we had stayed in Montepulciano this is the place I'd choose.

La Locanda di San Francesco

This is a luxury B&B and I really wanted to stay here but it was just too out of the way. It's above a restaurant/pub but the washrooms look very modern and the views are amazing.

This is the view in the morning from this place - beautiful!

Gotta love the view

All right, we're down to the end soon. Just Tuscany Part 3 - Volterra and Sienna left.

Twilight Trip to Europe - Tuscany Part 1 - Chianti

2011-02-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

This post has been a long time coming. Like over 6 months. But better late than never. I am finally over the
month of having both my kids birthdays, Christmas, New Years, and three other family birthdays. Phew!

This is the last of the Europe 2010 Travel Posts

London
Venice
Bologna Part 1 (Parmigiano Reggiano) and 2 (Balsamic Vinegar and Prosciutto)
Florence

Tuscany posts will be split into
Part 1 - Greve in Chianti - where we stayed
Part 2 - Montepulciano (Twilight Set)
Part 3 - Volterra and Sienna

Tuscany - Part 1 - Greve in Chianti

We left Florence and drove a short way south towards Sienna on the SS 222 (about 90 minutes) into the Chianti region. We stayed outside a tiny town called Greve in Chianti. Very cute hillside town but our hotel was up on a hilltop.

Hotel

See how the road goes uphill in this cartoon? They aren't kidding.

Yes it's a dirt road going up. Did a number on our little convertible rental.

We stayed at Villa Bordoni. It's a 16th century Tuscan villa that has been completely renovated by a Scottish restauranteur. The place was fabulous - right down to the hand painted antique floor tiles from the Amalfi coast.

The reception area

Part of the gardens - taken while having breakfast on the back porch

The view from the back garden out over the countryside

Most of you know I'm an indoor girl to the extreme. But this place was so pretty I actually sat on the back porch to have my breakfast.

Common sitting area

Our room

All 10 rooms are different in this villa. My whole impression of a hotel rests on how much I like the washroom. I was thrilled with this one and in fact my favourite part of our whole trip was this hotel shower.

Our room

Don't be put off by the weird mirror in the washroom.

My husband loved the TV in the mirror.

Absolutely love this shower!

So you can't see but there are two rainfall showerheads in this shower. Plus a bench which has 3 jets on each side that gently spray you. Plus a handheld shower head. Nine jets in one shower - I wanted to take this home.

Food

Did I mention that our hotel is owned by a restauranteur? Well the Villa Bordoni restaurant itself is very well known. The parking lot for the hotel was full every night with restaurant patrons.

we didn't do the outdoor dinner but I'm sure it's lovely at candlelight

The service here was very good. We came home late one evening and were famished. They had closed down dinner service but still offered to make us something.

Super yummy fancy mushroom soup

Warm chocolate cake

More Food

We had some spectacular meals in Tuscany. In Greve in Chianti itself there is a main town square. We went to Nerbone di Greve. It was peaceful and the food was hearty Tuscan. Some of this food isn't for the faint of heart but we loved it.

Take a peek at their menu online to see the interesting selection - warning to all vegetarians.

sorry for the blur - a flash felt too intrusive for this lovely patio

I crostini toscani di fegatini - Toasted bread with liver pate

Il bollito misto - Boiled mixed meat - ox-tongue, tripe, stuffed chicken neck

Yum for pickles and relishes for the boiled meats.

I fagioli all'olio - white beans with olive oil

L'ossobucco all fiorentina - Marrow bone in the florentine style

Honey mascarpone panna cotta - seriously licked the cup after!

Officina della Bisteca - The Ultimate Beef Dinner

My husband loves steak. Apparently when his mother was pregnant she had to have beef every night or she felt ill. There are stories of him going to bed with steak in his pockets from dinner because "his eyes were bigger than his stomach" and he couldn't finish his meal.

We first saw the famous butcher Dario Cecchini on the cooking travel show David Rocco's Dolce Vita on Food Network.

This guy is a meat fanatic.

Here's his lament for "the death of beef" when Mad Cow disease was at it's peak

The butchershop is in a tiny town called Panzano about 15 minutes south of Greve in Chianti. It has a space upstairs that seats dozens of people for this special beef dinner (or Sunday 1pm lunch as we did). For 50 euros you get three different types of beef plus wine, sides, and dessert.

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Click to enlarge

we sat very close to this fire. Everyone's sweating by the end

beef "sushi" - steak tartare - they do cook it lightly - so good!

Huge porterhouse steaks - Bistecca alla Fiorentina

always having white beans with olive oil from now on

yummy olive oil cake - can`t believe how much I ate of this stuff

My husband and I got a nice pic with the crazy celebrity butcher but I figured Mr. TC isn`t ready to have his face on a twilight blog yet.

Okay next post will be

Tuscany Part 2 - Montepulciano - finally I make it to the New Moon set!

When Harry Potter Grows Up

2011-01-26T23:45:00.001-08:00

My hubby and I were finally able to watch the latest Harry Potter film. It was quite clear that we aren't dealing with little kids anymore. Although these movies didn't make me all hot and bothered for the actors I couldn't help having a peek at what our Hogwarts students have grown up to become.

My favourite images

I almost don't recognize Daniel Radcliffe in some of these.

Emma Watson making Burberry look so lovely. By the way I've been pining for that coat on the right for the last year. But it begs to be worn really over only lingerie. Not too practical in Vancouver.

Do you find the Hogwart gang sexy? Remember we aren't including Cedric Diggory in this lot.

More Short Fanfic Recs

2011-01-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

I delved right back into Twiight fanfic after The Host because I honestly needed to keep reading something!

Things I found that I thought I'd share

Heat of the Blue Flame by 107 Year Old Virgin

This fic is incomplete. It still gets through lots of good stuff so definitely worth a read. It's the kind of story that makes me remember what it's like to fall in love. To have someone who can pull you out of the numbness of just existing.
Edward is a photographer. Mysterious and hot as always. Bella is his angst normal girl subject. It's a very sweet story that moves quite quickly so you aren't left hanging for too long.
The author 107 Year Old Virgin is quite famous in the fandom so I'm sure you will be seeing me rec more of her stories.

More stories from Danieller123 author of Under the Apple Tree (you all know I loved that ff so I couldn't resist peeking at her other stories)

What Are the Chances

This is a weird fic but feels brilliant. Reminds me of a short story you might receive in a couple paragraphs everyday in the paper. Considering how few words there are the characters and story is rich. It is written by danieller123 of Under the Apple Tree fame (see other rec here).
It is very sweet and even though there are currents of age difference which reminded me of Celine Dion it was not in poor taste.
This story is finished and the ending leaves you feeling a bit incomplete but actually more at peace. You'll have to read it to find out :)

Men Without Eyes

This story is about Edward in a wheelchair. No, he's not blind. But he is crotchety and it's assumed that he's hot. Bella is the new neighbour across the street. It is also incomplete so it's a short read. It still has a ways to go so if you get frustrated easily maybe save this one for a later date when it's further along.

The Host

2011-01-24T17:14:00.000-08:00

So I must be the last Twilight fan left who had not read The Host? I was finally convinced by my friend YS to read it because she had been hounding me for a year.
Well I just finished it. It was a very interesting story and something that I'd never conceived of. In some ways it reminded me of Twilight.

Spoilers

The story is basically invasion of the body snatchers but told from the body snatchers point of view. Oh and picture the body snatchers are angelic altruistic creatures called Souls. What if suddenly one actually feels bad for being a parasite because the host body's mind becomes her friend. And the Soul falls in love with the Hosts' true love because she keeps reliving all the steamy memories. That's quite a pickle.

Having the parasite build a conscience really reminded me of the angsty vampire.

Overall a sweet love story and I was happy to feel like Stephenie Meyer was able to show off her writing a bit more. It's still a YA book with minimal lemons but I wasn't expecting more.

I'm now feeling like I want a sequel. So I went cruising for fanfic.

The Host Fanfic I enjoyed

Unbreak My Heart by IsabellClair
This is The Host from Jared's POV. What I was looking for but warning it is far from complete so don't be disappointed when you reach the end.

Anything But by RawSugar
Interesting twist to The Host epilogue and is a nice extension of the Wanda/Ian story with a steamy twist.

Brighter by ianlover1
This was where I went when I was looking for Host lemons. You must take two seconds to register at The Host fanfic archive since it's for mature readers. Somewhat satisfied my lemon cravings.

All in all I am still starved for The Host fanfic. In fact I felt so thirsty that I quickly reverted back to Bella/Edward fanfic just to put out the edginess. But that will be my next post...

Gleeks - Is Mr. Shue Sexy?

2011-01-08T22:48:00.000-08:00

So after having watched a couple episodes of Glee I've come to appreciate the cuteness that is local boy Cory Monteith.

But I'd never really thought of Mr. Shue as a hottie. This is what I had to go on.

Something about his face just looks off. My friend DQ and I were trying to figure it out. Eyes too small and close together? Nose too big? Forehead too high with hair too closely curled? I feel awful picking apart this guys face but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

Well I've now realized it's a moot point. I don't know how I missed this December cover of Details magazine but damn!

I didn't know I cared about abs do much and the nice V until I saw these and needed to post.

By the way DQ let me know if I'm just being hormonal eg ovulating and imagining things.

Flipboard iPad App Review

2011-01-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

cross posted with Twi-Mobile

Want a new gorgeous way to catch up on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs all in one place on your iPad for free?

Up until tonight I've been using the Twitter, Facebook, and Google Reader to catch up on all my favourite people and blogs.

I thought those were adequate but boring.

Enter Flipboard - voted #1 app for iPad in iTunes. It puts your Facebook, Twitter, and blog/RSS news feeds all in one place.

That's my Flipboard home screen - Twitter, Facebook, and Google Reader all in one place. I declined putting CNN, Sephora, or Bon Appetit magazine on there but you can add almost anything that has a twitter or RSS feed.

My Twitter feed on Twitter app

My Twitter feed on Flipboard

I even made a page just for the twitter feeds of some of my Twilight besties. See how pretty their Twitter feeds look now?

This is Honolulu Girl's Twitter feed

I had actually stopped blog surfing for a while because Google Reader was just getting too boring.

But with Flipboard I'll definitely be starting again. See the before and after?

Once you've added facebook, Flickr photos, and whatever else you follow onto your Flipboard you're set.

You can also post to Twitter and Facebook from Flipboard. You can attach photos or link to the page you're surfing. Very easy.

Despite the pros there is one major con - and this is a biggie which they are trying to update asap because it's a huge issue - there is no refresh button. It's not in real time and can have up to a 10 minute lag in updating. Twitter users and even some Facebook fanatics won't stand for this. It's not a big deal for the Google Reader though.

Let me know what you think - it's free so no harm in trying - here's the itunes link. Note there is no iPhone version of this and not sure if there will be in future.

By the way, have you guys figured out I'm trying to avoid turning on my computer ever again and just living off my iPad? I did this whole post on Blogpress using screen caps from the iPad. Love it!

Chocolate Lego Men Cupcakes

2011-01-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

My youngest turned 5 recently and wanted a Lego birthday. I debated between making him a Lego cake covered in fondant or doing something easier. Since he loves chocolate I decided to make chocolate Lego men on cupcakes instead.

I started out with a Lego figurine ice cube mold from Lego.com (thanks Santa).

Since I was making these for kids I opted to melt chocolate chips rather than really going through the task of tempering chocolate. The chocolate chips can result in an oxidized waxy look after a couple of days but the kids wouldn't care.

Since I'd be refilling the piping bag very often and remelting the chocolate I used a ziploc bag with the corner cut off instead of my standard parchment paper cones.
Goes in the freezer for 15 minute and pops out of the silicone easily.

Stays smooth and shiny for a day so if you care about this don't make then too far in advance.

Where are the Lego CSI guys? Note overfilling the mold is hard to fix unless you remelt them - or just let the birthday boy eat your mistakes!

Finished products on vanilla Italian meringue buttercream (Martha Stewart recipe) on devil's food cupcakes.

All in all a hit with boys young and old.

Alone in Forks iPhone/iPad App Review

2011-01-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

Ever wish you took better pictures when you were in Forks? Never had the chance to go but would love to pay $0.99 to live vicariously? Wish you had nice enough Twilight photos for high quality wallpaper on your iPad or iPhone?

I got a lovely email the other day letting me know about this cool Alone in Forks iPad app. Went to check it out from my iPhone 3GS but didn't want to update my software. So I installed the app on my iPad but I'm sure it looks as good on the iPhone.

It has a vast collection of pictures from Forks, La Push, Port Angeles, and also Twilight filming locations in Portland taken by the talented photographer Angel Abreu of Majic Moments Photography.

Here's a sample of some of the pictures. With the installed app they come in hi res so it makes for beautiful wallpaper.

Not only are there lovely pictures but they are also geotagged which means you can see exactly where they were taken on GoogleMaps. Especially good if you are driving around doing your Twilight tour in Forks or Portland and trying to find a specific location.

What are they missing? I didn't see any pics from Canada but I can't blame them for not coming up North of the border. Maybe that will be added in an update later on.

Go ahead and check them out in the iTunes app store.

Thank you Santa

2011-01-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

What started out as a bad start to the Christmas holidays has become wonderfully warm again. I know it's not the giving but the receiving that is supposed to make you happy. But this year the receiving was oh so good!

I'm so very happy with my Tiffany earrings from my hubby and multiple Tokidoki items from Sephora from my sister and sister-in-law.

First off I've never used a flat iron before because I've always thought my stick straight Asian hair was straight enough. I was wrong. It's now straight but better!

Click the image above for a review of this eyeshadow palette.

It's super cute and inside there's an awesome cow holding a nice weapon.

All makeup should be this cute.

Plus don't forget these shoes my mom paid for earlier this month

But the most thrilling of course were the unexpected Twilight ones.

An eclipse skinny tee and an exclusive HMV eclipse folder from Hong Kong.

Do you know who I got these from? My parents. Picture my straight laced Chinese dad going through HMV in Hong Kong looking for merchandise with Edward Cullen on it. God bless them - I really do love my parents. They don't judge this stuff but embrace it. I guess it's no different than when my kids love Lego. Except I'm reading all sorts of fanfic about Edward doing not so pure things. But they don't have to know that...

Speaking of impure guess what my secret Santa brought me?

Yes it's a sterling silver helicopter coinbank from Birks. I swear everyone in our family was wondering why the hell I was so happy to receive it.
Hoping only maybe my Secret Santa knows I have an obsession with MotU Edward. Yeah for having a luxury Echo Charlie worthy of Edward Cullen, CEO. Thank you Santa!

So what was your favourite Christmas gift this year?

Why I Now Love the Sound of Music

2011-01-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

So we were watching The Sound of Music during our family Christmas party and I suddenly had a revelation. I've seen that movie many times as a young girl but not as an adult. Especially not as a grown woman who spends half her free time reading lemony fanfic.

I suddenly realized why many women have been watching this movie for years.
Christopher Plummer is hot.

I couldn't find a pic online to do him justice.
Something about that gorgeous aloof powerful man who suddenly dumps the bitch and admits his love for the lowly nun. It just screamed Edward Cullen all over it. Seems so many fanfic Edwards have followed this recipe and it works.

Doesn't the Baroness remind you of a bitchy Tanya?

Granted that Julie Andrews is just too blonde to be Bella. But I'll let that slide.
I now have to put this movie on my ipad. Maybe a bit for the cute musical numbers but now definitely for the eye candy.

It is now even more disturbing that this is my mother in law's favourite movie. Up until tonight I'd never questioned her motives.

Does anyone know a twilight fanfic version of this? I know it wouldn't have the musical acts but even the story alone would be enough.

Things I'll Never Put Up in My Office...

2010-12-19T00:07:00.000-08:00

This isn't a Twilight post. Sorry to disappoint the Twitards. Bet you were thinking I'd be talking about something Twi-embarrassing like my Rob pic from Forks.

No this is a whine and bitch post.

By the way, those of you who know my good friend Dangrdafne will know she is a ray of sunshine. Her blog is a wonderful place to go if you are needing a little bit of positive reinforcement and a smile.

This post is pretty much the opposite of her blog. It makes me feel almost bad when she is trying to spread good cheer. (DD - forgive me)

So I've been a bit cranky the last few days. In fact I've been so grumpy my husband decided not to call anyone to join us on outings this weekend so as not to expose them to my potential wrath.

I usually love Christmas. As the girls at work say, I seem like a "Christmas kind of person," whatever that means. Could it be the baking, organizing, handmade gifts, and incessant singing? Well I don't know where that girl has gone but she better come back before Dec 25th.

What I intended to make this year. Sadly these aren't mine.

Maybe it's the fact that I've organized three gift exchanges so far and wrapped almost 45 gifts. I'm still behind as Christmas cards are made but not written and my cookie cutters and ingredients are bought but still in packages. No one is getting handmade anything this year.

Despite my Grinch like demeanor today I still laughed my ass off today. I'm sure you've seen these de-motivational posters before by Despair Inc. but these are my favourites. Weird how when you're feeling mean that laughing at others makes you happy.

poignant but depressing

seriously LMAO!

Love this one too

always my motto

Check out these and more at Despair Inc.

Daddy It's Cold Outside

2010-12-16T22:07:00.001-08:00

I have always thought the duet "Baby It's Cold Outside" is sweet. Except the part where he tells her not to hold out - which equates to me as why don't you put out.
But this version I heard on the radio is the ABSOLUTE BEST!

It's a duet between a little kid and his dad called "Daddy It's Cold Outside" by AJ and the Flipflops.

Super cute - you must hear it!

Daddy It's Cold Outside

Water For Elephants Wallpapers for Your Phone

2010-12-15T21:06:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Robnipulations for sending these to me tonight. So pretty!

Blackberry (480x360)

iPhone

iPad (1024x1024)

A Hello Kitty Doctor?

2010-12-14T22:20:00.001-08:00

This post is dedicated to my awesome cousin VL. She lives in Hong Kong and passed a major milestone recently - the woman finally reached full fledged psychiatrist status! She is now officially going to get paid to heal minds.

She is the only other person in the health care field in our family - seems everyone else is a computer person, accountant, engineer, or educator. So I have extra love for her since we suffered through the torture of med school together. Except she is a smart girl for avoiding blood and guts in her career choice. She can wear Prada shoes every day without the threat of bodily fluids. I still manage to have babies pee on me once a month and hate getting that out of cashmere!

Why you should love VL? She has lovingly brought me random Twilight books and things from her travels around the globe. Like Japanese and Russian versions of Twilight. She is a total Twilight enabler and I love her for it!

So what is VL's addiction?

You know she must have one to get her through being type A enough to finish med school. VL is a Hello Kitty collector. Her Hello Kitty collection towers over my piddly vault of Twilight stuff. But Hello Kitty is 35 years old so we've got time to catch up.

My favourite medical Hello Kitty images online?

Hello Kitty medical stuff

See the Hello Kitty maternity
ward in Taiwan? Maybe if I worked here I wouldn't have quit delivering babies. But then I wouldn't have had time to read Twilight in the first place so things have worked out for the best.

Hello Kitty anatomy -too weird!

You know I can't resist

Totally want the vamp one.

Congratulations sweetie!

Blogpress - Mobile Blogging App Review

2010-12-14T02:21:00.000-08:00

(for those of you subscribed to both - please forgive the cross-posting of this to my regular blog Twilight, Travel, and Treats)

Do you ever get the inspiration to post something while you're out and about? Up until recently I'd just wait until I got home and hope I'd still remember my ideas. Well for $2.99 I've found a good way to get those ideas out onto the page before I forget.

Blogpress is available for iPod/iPhone/iPad. It is very flexible and you can blog across many platforms

These are the blogging platforms it supports

Also Tumblr and SquareSpace

Pros

you can write a post and have it posted across multiple blogs
can insert photos or videos from your iPhone - great if you're posting photos taken on your iPhone
can save either to a local draft, online draft, or post immediately
you can save photos you've posted to Flickr, Picasa, or another album associated with your blog
you can save videos to your Youtube account
you can post your location and connect up with your Twitter or Facebook accounts.

Cons

a bug - when I try and switch to HTML mode the app closes - right now I can't do any HTML changes (fonts, links, etc)
another bug - when I choose to post immediately it just saves as an online draft

Despite the bugs I've been able to draft most posts on my iPhone and also insert photos from my phone then save it as a online draft. Then I've had to use my computer to add in links and add formatting and any other images. Then I finally post. It is still a worthwhile app although without the bugs it would be so much better. I'll let you know when the bugs are fixed.

Update - Blogpress on my iPad has been bugless so far. The HTML works well and it's easy to add formatting and links.
Also the inability to publish straight from the phone is my silliness - when you click the i next to the post title you can add labels etc but there is also a Publish selector at the bottom that I hadn't noticed.

Let me know if you've found any other useful blogging apps. I use the wordpress and tumblr ones and may review those ones next but they're free so it's easy just to try them out.

More screencaps

More Fanfic Recs

2010-12-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

You know how some (most) of us have this stranger fantasy? You meet some anonymous hot guy that you get to f"ck the sh*t out of for hours? Well Last Tango in Forks by AwesomeSauce76 is all over that. It is heavy on the smut to the point you almost feel you are watching porn. As the story progresses there is more plot to it so it's not just a lemon fest. As always Strangerward is tortured and Bella in this case is nurturing and unknowingly hot.
By the way those of you who have strong issues with infidelity should maybe skip this one.

Company Loves Misery is written by AngstGoddess003 of Wide Awake fame. Remember Wide Awake was the fanfic that led to my addiction? Yeah so she really is the girl who started it all for me.
Edward is a recovering alcoholic who bullied Bella during highschool. Now he must make amends - will Bella forgive him?
Boozeward is sweet and it's nice to see him grovelling and Bella having the power in this one.

Let me know your thoughts.

Twilight Christmas Wishes

2010-12-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

It's a crazy time of year. In coming up with my wishlist for the family I didn't realize how many things I actually wanted.
I now have a whole section of my wishlist called "Seriously, Don't Laugh - Twilight Stuff."

There are the obvious things that are from Hot Topic that I had no chance to buy since I live in Canada. Like the New Moon and Eclipse fleece blankets.

Have been wishing for this since last year!

But then there are special things I didn't know existed but now feel like I can't live without

Not sure why I'd need this silver necklace from Edward but his face is too pretty

And you know what's on backorder? The Hallmark twilight ornament. I know, it doesn't look anything like them and he definitely isn't the hot Robward that we love.

They aren't even that attractive looking but I still want it.

Speaking of ornaments look what came in the mail?

Thank you to my awesome friend Dangrdafne for this lovely gift.

Finally stuff that I stupidly want even though they'll just sit in the vault but at least they're pretty.

Anyone remember Edward having a Masen ring?

What kind of Twilight gifts are you secretly hoping for?

Glee and Twilight

2010-12-10T00:56:00.000-08:00

So for a person who loves singing I must confess I've only watched glee once. My friend DQ loves it and I happened to be taping the Jon Stamos one just for fun so I could tell her I saw it. I was not prepare to fall in love with it since it was a Britney Spears theme. The last song "The Only Exception" was so powerful that I had to watch it again.

Well I got the iPhone Glee Karaoke game and actually paid attention to the lyrics once I had to sing it.
Of course you know how as a Twilight fanatic everything reminds us of Bella or Edward?

Well this song was no exception :)

Lyrics:

When I was younger
I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind
He broke his own heart
And I watched
As he tried to reassemble it

And my momma swore that
She would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist

But darling,
Chorus
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

Maybe I know, somewhere
Deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone
Keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now

I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk

Chorus

I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving
In the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream

Chorus
And I'm on my way to believing
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing

Totally sweet how it changes from being from Bella's POV to being a bit of Edward/Bella.

I had no idea this song was by Paramore - sorry for all those Hayley fans out there
Looks like I wasn't the only ones to think this way (except these people were clearly months ahead of me and were talented enough to make Youtube videos too)

This is the Robsten version - thinking of 17ForeverLisa and Twired Jen!

Anyways for those Glee fans - enjoy!

Click to comment.

Fanfic - More Recs and Mobile Info

2010-11-21T23:46:00.000-08:00

My fanfic rec today is something I've just started called Going Down? by TexasKatherine. It is a funny fanfic with lemons. Not stupid funny but just light and humourous.
Mini spoiler - the first chapter starts with Bella and Edward trapped in an elevator. The one shot alone should be enough to make you go check it out! I'm just on chapter 3 of 5 now so we'll have to see how things go but so far it's cute. Totally needed after all the heavy epic fanfics I've been reading the last few weeks.

Have you been to my other site lately? If you ever wonder where I am I'm usually doing something on that side. But at least it's pretty over there. Not Edward Cullen kind of pretty but still Twi-Mobile is pretty if I do say so myself. Come have a look!

My eyes are officially buggy from spending the whole weekend revamping the mobile fanfic section of Twi-Mobile. I've added detailed instructions for iPhone, iPad, Kindle, Blackberry, Sony eReader, and Kobo eReader. I'm sure I'm missing a few devices and the list is by no means exhaustive but that's all I've got for now. So if you need more help on taking your fanfic with you to go then please go check it out.

I also made Twi-Mobile easier to navigate by adding drop down menus to the top. Plus I've stickied the important posts for the Twi-Mobile member directory, Fanfic info, and Mobile Blog Set-Up.

Okay off to finish off my fanfic. Anyone have a fanfic rec of what to read after?

Happy Birthday Tongue-Twied!

2010-11-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

I love the Tongue-Twied blog. In honour of KiTT's birthday some of us have gotten together to lead her on a treasure hunt of Twilight Trivia.

There are many blogs involved and my Trivia below is just one in the steps that will lead to TT's birthday surprise.

If you want to start from the beginning the trivia game begins at Robmusement. Check her TT birthday post/sidebar for the Twilight Trivia widget and start your trivia tour.

Happy Hunting TT!

Fanfic Rec: Under The Apple Tree & The Workshop

2010-11-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well some of you have been wondering where I've been hiding. I have been sucked into two fanfics by Danieller123. They are both completed so you can jump right into them knowing you'll get an ending soon.

The first one I found was

Under the Apple Tree

Under the Apple Tree is kind of like Pretty Woman but much heavier. Bella is a stripper/prostitute. Edward is a pediatrician who has lots of emotional baggage. He wants to save her. She is too stubborn and has too much pride to be saved. You get the picture.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the characters. The doctor POV (Edward's) was actually spot on which makes me wonder what Danieller123 must do for a living. Her storytelling around Bella's addiction and abuse is captivating.

Originally I was worried it would be just be angst laden and way too heavy. But Hooker Bella's smart mouth and beautiful Doctor Edward's caring ways kept me engaged.

This is definitely on my top to read list.

I was fully prepared to do my fanfic rec on here and then decided just for fun to check out her other work called The Workshop. Wouldn't you know that I got sucked into it so badly I didn't have an hour free so I decided to finish them both and rec them together.

Okay moving on...

The Workshop: A Tale of Edible Delights

This is a fanfic for all of you Food Network junkies out there. Anyone who enjoys watching Gordon Ramsey tear a strip off some young chef will want to read this.

Bella is a young Michelin star winning chef who owns successful restaurants around the world. Edward applies to be the sous chef at her new location. He is of course a super sexy single father with an incredibly cute daughter. Oh yeah and she has a no fraternization policy at work.

I enjoyed this one for many reasons. I think the biggest was because I love food. They mention the show "Man vs. Food" a lot. I can't tell you how many times I've watched that guy Adam try to kill himself by eating a hamburger the size of his head or a pizza the size of a chair.

As you all know I like to bake. Some of you may not know that I do not know how to cook. Like I can make macaroni and cheese and reheat stuff for the kids. I don't even boil eggs properly. Thank God me and the kiddies have my wonderful husband who can make a feast for 50 people without breaking a sweat.

This fanfic actually inspired me to want to cook more. As I finished the epilogue I told my husband I wanted to try making pasta from scratch. He gave me the "oh my god who are you and what have you done with my wife?" look.

The number of profanities coming out of Bella's mouth in both of these fanfics combined could probably render a priest unconscious. But it's part of the characters so just be forewarned.

Lemon count is decent but these fanfics do not focus on the sex. Enough that they are rated Mature and keep me interested but not enough to render them just smut.

Let me know your thoughts.

Yeah for Being Nominated for Awards!

2010-11-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that my little blog here has been nominated for some "I Love Your Blog" Awards.
Categories that my blog is nominated in:

Best Design
Best Content
Best Twilight Blog
Best Event/Challenge/Community for Twi-Mobile
Best Topic Blog
Best Blog of the Year

Please click here to Vote Now! Voting closes November 29th.

Thanks ladies.

The Hunger Games

2010-10-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well I finally read something other than Twilight. HonoluluGirl is a huge fan of The Hunger Games and its sequels Catching Fire and MockingJay. She had tried to convince me in the Sea-Tac airport to read it. Then my good friend YS also mentioned this weekend how it was very good. So I gave in.

This book sucked me in because it had the first chapter for free on pdf. It was so easy to just buy the book after that as I had to know what would happen.

The story is set in the future in some post-apocalyptic world and involves turmoil and war. That was enough to put me off reading the series entirely. Mr. TC loves post-apocalyptic stuff and zombie stories so I thought this would be more up his alley.

Well, I was surprisingly enthralled. As with Twilight I zoomed through it very quickly - read all three books in less than 48 hours. YS thinks I'm nuts but if I don't do it this way I'll lose interest and never finish them.

I won't bore you with my synopsis but here's the teaser from the official site

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone fighting against you?Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying ﬁght to the death - televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

WINNING WILL MAKE YOU FAMOUS. LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH.

You can read the first chapter here for free.

There's a strong willed feisty unlikely hero and a love triangle. What more do you need? Oh yeah the writing is pretty good too. And they're making it into a movie soon.

I read it on my iPad. You can't buy it from Amazon or iBooks in iPad/Kindle format in Canada so my only option was to buy it from Kobobooks on my iPad using their app. It was amazingly easy and I am officially a fan of theirs.

Let me know what you think when you've read it.

I've Been Tagged (Part 2)

2010-10-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

I posted yesterday the answer to my questions from Jelena at Confessions of a Twiholic. Today I'll post answers to Musing Bella from Cheaper than Therapy.

1) What was your favorite subject in school, and why?

I loved biology. Big surprise there :) In all fairness I loved physics and chemistry as well but not much about either of those careers appealed to me.

2) Do you have any daily rituals, and what are they?

It seems that I need to wake up and check my iPhone first thing in the morning. Even before I go to the washroom. Maybe this is a common thing amongst all of us bloggers in Twitardia.

seems he loves his iPhone too

3) Do you prefer beer, wine, or hard alcohol (or none of the above)?

I prefer hard liquor. Gin or vodka with some kind of juice is ideal.
If I could only drink one thing ever again it would be doing shots of China White. And of course I mean the liquor, not the hard stuff.

China White

Ingredients

1 part Irish Cream (Bailey's)

1 part Creme de Cacao, white

1 part Vodka

4) What is the very first thing you would do if you won a million dollars?

Boring as it may be I would pay off my mortgage. Then I'd invest into vacation property in Hawaii.

5) If you could live one fan fic story (as any character), what would it be?

Oh I like this one. You see that "Ward of the Day" column on the right sidebar with all my fanfic recommendations? Which one would you choose?

I would like to be Snarkella in The Misapprehension of Bella Swan as she falls for Hockeyward. She's smart and sassy and is beautiful even though she doesn't know it. Hockeyward is sweet, Canadian, and hugely endowed. Sounds like a good life.
And lastly she has a great rack. It would be nice for an Asian girl to experience that once.

6) What is something you're looking forward to in the next six months?

Another great question. I'm looking forward to watching my kids in the Christmas concert, especially since it will be the first for our youngest who just started kindergarten. Otherwise I don't have any trips planned until London in July 2011. I know, it's a shocker for me too to not have any plane tickets booked but it will be nice to stay home and earn money to pay off all my previous vacations.

7) Have you ever slapped someone for real? And if so, why?

No, although there are times where I was very tempted to but it's not in my nature.

8) What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Mini Coffee Crisp bars. I'm not picky about my sweets though - anything I can sneak away from the kids is good to me.

I am not going to tag anyone since I'm so OCD that I won't do it without first finding out who has already been tagged and that might take me all night.
So I'll just leave some questions for those of you who feel like you'd like me to know you better as well.

Leave your answers in the comments

1) What is your favourite photo of yourself?

2) Favourite food

3) Best meal ever

4) Worst hair day you remember

5) Fuck, Marry, Kill - Edward Cullen, Robert Pattinson, Eric from TrueBlood

Okay ladies, can't wait to see your answers

I've Been Tagged (Twice)

2010-10-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

There's been a silly game of blog tagging happening in our Twilight blogosphere and I've been tagged by my lovely friends Musing Bella and Jelena. They asked me some questions and here are my answers.

From Jelena at Confessions of a Twiholic

1. What is the favourite spot (aside from Forks) that you've ever visited?

If I could only keep vacationing somewhere it would be Hawaii. Asia is nice as a second home and Europe is magnificent for its food but Hawaii has soft sand and sun that we don't have in Vancouver.

All time favourite place is the Spa at the Grand Wailea in Maui. They have these multicoloured baths with algae etc that you rotate through

and also a rainfall shower but super intense.

the showers on the left - you sit on a bench and water pounds onto your shoulders
from the ceiling - love it

It gives a lomi lomi massage - high powered jets that come down on your neck and shoulders - a pounding that is bliss.

By the way, in that shower picture, the showers on the right are high powered fine jets. As in you have to hold on because if you don't you might actually go flying out the door. Most people find it painful but I went back at least 10 times. Maybe 50 needs to have one of those next to the playroom in MotU?

2. Would you rather live by the sea or in the mountains?

I live at the base of a mountain. The gondola to go skiing is literally a few houses up from us.

the mountain that I live at the base of

About 10 minutes down the hill is the waterfront. This is the bridge I drive over to go to work everyday

more realistic

love this one though

So my answer is that I live on a mountain and by the water. Is it pretty? Yes. Do I sometimes wish that I lived by the water on a warm sandy beach - everyday!! Mountains bring rain and snow. Brrr.

3. What was your worst ever nightmare?

I don't know. I have lots of good and bad dreams every night and only seem to have peaceful sleep with the occasional cold and flu medicine. My most recent bad dream involved being chased all over a giant shopping mall that was supposed to enclose a city in Hong Kong. I felt like I was in a bad Mission Impossible movie.

what a nightmare Rob might look like

4. What did you dream of becoming when you were growing up?

A fashion designer. I remember in summer camp they made us draw a "in the future" poster and I wanted to be Alice. I had drawings of outfits and colour schemes everywhere. I'm sure my old school Chinese parents were silently praying it was a phase.

I so could have done better than Valentino, well the one on the right is kinda pretty

5. What's your favourite fruit?

Since I'm allergic to all fresh fruit and veggies I'll have to go with my realistic option. I love the dried sweetened strawberries from Chukar's Cherries in Pike Place Market, Seattle. On our last Forks trip I picked up four bags. I'm sure for all you fresh fruit fiends these things look disgusting but they are heaven for me.

6. Do you prefer tea or coffee?

Twining's English Breakfast Tea - just like Bella from MotU. If I'm at Starbuck's I'll have a chai latte.

I prefer my tea with Storm Troopers

7. Which booze do you always have at your house?

Bombay Sapphire Gin. By the way I found these gingerbread houses online - they have gin inside and the ingredients for a apple cocktail in them. Wow corporate Christmas gifts for liquor companies are kick ass.

8. Did you ever ride on a horse?

Sadly no.

Answers to Musing Bella's questions tomorrow.